What is Lyme Disease?

There are all sorts of conditions that are contagious and passed on from one living thing to another, usually from human to human. There are also some diseases that are passed on from insect to animal. One of these diseases is known as lyme disease. It is a bacterial condition that can be passed on from a tick to a human as well.

What It Is

Lyme disease is also known as borreliosis. This is a disease that is actually formed from bacteria from a genus known as Borrelia, thus the scientific name. Although the most common form of infection is passed on via the bite of a black-legged deer tick, there are also other ways that humans and animals can get the disease. The disease itself, when left alone and untreated, can become very difficult to cure if it is already in the late stage of development. The manifestations of the disease can vary and it can present itself in the form of a skin rash or even as a condition that gives you flu-like symptoms. From there, it can develop further into something more serious. It can start to affect your muscles and skeletal system, cause arthritis, and even contribute to psychiatric and cardiac conditions.

The Symptoms

The first thing that you might notice if you are in the initial phase of lyme disease is that you will develop a rash. It is not a normal rash but instead looks like a bulls-eye mark on your skin. With this rash you will most probably have a fever and also experience muscle and bone pains. Most people who have lyme disease will have the bulls-eye rash and it is the most common of symptoms of this disease. It can appear any time between a day to a month from the time a tick bite has occurred. What people do not know is that the rash is not an allergic reaction to the tick bite. It is actually a skin infection with the bacteria borrelia that is transmitted from the tick bite. Other findings suggest that lyme disease symptoms often occur from the months of May through September because tick bites happen the most in those months. Lyme disease can also be responsible for more serious conditions like heart block, some neurologic conditions, and even the altering of a person’s mental status. The bacteria can be passed on from a tick that is in its nymph stage.

Prevention

In North America, it has been found that lyme disease occurs when the bacteria borrelia is transmitted from certain ticks. This includes the deer tick in the north of America and the lone star tick that is found throughout the southeastern United States. With this knowledge, one can prevent the bacteria from spreading by avoiding areas where there are a lot of ticks. If you live in a wooded area, make sure that you wear clothes that cover the entire body so that ticks will not have a way of biting you directly when you are outdoors. Insect repellents are wise to have and use. Also, if you have any pets, make sure that you get rid of any ticks that they might have under their fur. If you find any attached ticks, make sure to remove them promptly.